Letter: Creem earns Backman Badge of Leadership
Wicked Local Brookline
Posted Dec 21, 2009
Brookline — In the summer of 2008, I wrote a TAB opinion piece, “Creem earns Backman Badge of Courage,” praising our state senator, Cynthia Stone Creem, for casting the sole gutsy vote against the multiflawed “Jessica’s Law” — with yet more harsh sentences in the discretion of DAs instead of judges, administrative subpoenas and jail for “mandated reporters” who happen to be physicians, teachers, religious leaders, etc., even without any professional relationship with a victim. I said, “here we go again, more self-defeating delusion of false uniformity, phony deterrence and counterproductive discretion-shifting. Senator Creem has been a leader in pushing for both the Sentencing Commission proposals (with harsh guidelines for all sex crimes) and parole for drug offenders…”
She has now outdone herself and helped our commonwealth take a major step towards finally joining many other states in making 21st-century “smart on crime” reforms of counterproductive, wasteful and inhumane drug laws. Her stellar leadership in largely drafting the recent bill with sentencing and CORI reforms, fending off pseudo-tough and budget-busting amendments, and then getting a positive Senate vote by 26 colleagues was downright stunning. She, her great staff, Senate President Murray, and their colleagues deserve great credit. With hope, her longtime efforts will finally come to fruition in the House when this session resumes.
Marty Rosenthal, co-chairman, both
Brookline PAX
Sentencing Reform Committee,
Massachusetts Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers